Why You Should Work at A Startup
It is hard to predict how a startup will turn out. You may find yourself in an environment where the product/service you are building is great, but the business itself doesn’t make any money.
Or maybe the business makes lots of money, but it is unclear how this money will be used to fund your growth and innovation.
There are so many unknowns about startups that it’s almost impossible to predict whether or not you will enjoy your experience there. However, if you choose to work at a startup, there are certain things that you can expect to see and do.
Being with Like-Minded People
A startup is a place to find like-minded people who are passionate about solving actual problems for real customers. The work you do at a startup is more impactful than working on an internal project at another company.
You can feel good about helping people (even if they don’t pay you). On top of that, working on an early-stage company allows you to learn from and influence the founding team members and other members of the company.
The startup environment is generally very energetic and exciting. The people you work with will help you build a successful company, and you can help them build their businesses as well.
In this way, startups are a perfect place to find people who want to work hard and learn new things.
Facing Hard Problems
The reality of startups is that they face many difficult problems every day. You can expect to spend most of your time-solving problems that are unique to the startup or just plain hard.
For example, how do you deal with security issues? How do you manage multiple product lines in one business? How do you measure customer satisfaction? And how do you hire the right people for your team?
Startups tend to have high energy and passion, but they also face some enormous challenges. At the same time, startups provide employees with the opportunity to solve actual problems for real customers, which helps make it worthwhile working there.
If a startup is failing (or even if it’s not failing), it’s still worth it to work there because of all the valuable lessons learned about what not to do next time around. Even if a startup isn’t failing but has grown so large that it no longer resembles the company you joined, you will still learn a lot.
Being a Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself
A startup is a very personal experience. You get to be part of something bigger than yourself, which is very rewarding. You can help build something that other people will use and enjoy for years to come.
Startups can also be stressful and competitive, but the team dynamic at a startup makes it worthwhile working there.
The founder/CEO tends to be a more hands-on manager, and you will get to work with the rest of the founding team members who are passionate about building their businesses as well.
The people you work with will inspire you to do better work, and they will help make your life at the company more enjoyable as well. In this way, startups are great places to find people who want to create something that matters in the world.
Getting an Early Exposure To Leadership Skills And Decision Making
As an employee at a startup, you may have some responsibilities for which you have little or no experience. For example, if your startup is starting in an industry where few other companies are doing what it does, then you may be the only employee.
You may have to decide about which direction the company should take and how it should grow. Working at a startup can help you develop skills that will be useful in any kind of job, including working for a large company.
The fact that you are part of something bigger than yourself can also make you feel more confident and secure. You will feel more like an adult than if you were working at a large company, where you would have to answer to lots of people and follow policies set by someone else.
This sense of security is especially important when making decisions that impact the company’s future, such as hiring new employees or deciding whether to expand into another city or country.
As an employee at a startup, you will get an early look at what it’s like to make big decisions that will impact the company for years to come.
Learning From Other Employees And Customers In Real-Time
When you work at a startup, there is no way for anyone else in the company to learn about your experiences without having them firsthand. The other employees don’t know what customers are saying about your product or service until they use it themselves (or not).
You will learn about what the customers think of your product or service, and you will improve your product/service based on their feedback. As an employee at a startup, you will also be able to observe how other employees are doing their jobs.
The more people you work with, the more valuable it is to see how they handle different situations. Working at a startup allows you to see what other employees are doing before they get hired somewhere else, so you can make sure that they’re the right fit for your company.
For example, if someone who is applying for a job says that he doesn’t like the way someone else does something in your company, you can let him know how he should behave to get hired.
You can learn from all of this real-time feedback and experience, which is much more valuable than anything that could be gained from reading a book or watching videos on YouTube.
Final Thought
Startups are very exciting places where anyone can impact the world. If you work there long enough, you will see firsthand how a group of people with similar interests and skills can create something that people will use and enjoy for years to come.
Startups can be stressful and competitive, but the team dynamic at a startup makes it worthwhile working there.
The founder/CEO is a more hands-on manager, and you will get to work with the rest of the founding team members who are passionate about building their businesses as well.
This is a perfect place to find people who want to create something that matters in the world. You can learn from other employees and customers in real-time, which is much more valuable than anything that could be gained from reading a book or watching videos on YouTube.
About the Author
I hope that my post has helped you know more about Startups. Feel free to leave a comment and tag me and I will answer them. Follow my profile to get the latest content I post to stay ahead of the curve.
I am the Founder of Cudy Technologies, a full-stack EdTech startup helping teachers and students learn better. I am also a mentor and angel investor in other Startups of my other interests (Proptech, Fintech, HRtech, Ride-hailing, C2C marketplaces, and SaaS). You can also find me on Cudy for early-stage Startup Founder mentorship and advice.
Connect with me on LinkedIn if you have further questions. Let me know that you are a reader of my Medium posts in your invitation message.
